~ with Sunshine Coast marriage celebrant, Kari ~
Congratulations Hayley and Wade with their darling children, Charlotte and Kobi, married in the delightful Tiffany’s Chapel.
(Check out the photo which I call “Wrapping the bride!”)
We seek ceremony when there is something profound happening. We do things in ceremony that are symbols of a deeper meaning in our lives. Some things are not easy to express every day, as we live it. Some things are best expressed by ritual. A wedding does this. It creates an opportunity to gather the important people, and to enunciate deep feelings in the form of promises or gifts.
Hayley and Wade’s wedding day was a dream come true. And it was a wedding about family. Hayley and Wade believe that family is first, family is everything, family is LIFE.
Often a wedding is not simply about two people. It is about a wider group of people; community, family, heart families. This wedding was for everyone there.
A wedding could not alter what they already had, for Hayley and Wade had already built a marriage. I saw it expressed so well in their dear children, Charlotte and Kobi. As I spoke with the couple, the kids played with my lego basket. (Yes a relic of my own child rearing. I LOVE my son’s lego basket, and so do many of the kids who come to me with their parents.) As they played I noticed how gentle they were with each other and the things they created. Their parents took small moments to acknowledge what the kids were doing, and kids were very respectful of their parents having a talk. Impressive parenting at work here!
So this marriage was about a family unit, yet acknowledging of the important relationship that holds the family together, the parents. For Hayley and Wade wished to give the gift of marriage to each other. They had already promised forever in their kids, but on their wedding day they showed it to each other.
Charlotte and Kobi, (who are, may I say, the best behaved kids I have ever seen!) were delightful partners to the wedding as flower girl and ring boy. Kobi was quite emotional watching his parents wed. Who wouldn’t be? He could deeply appreciate the strong emotions that were being expressed that day. Check out Charlotte wrapping herself in Mum’s bride dress. I sneeked the ones of the “bridal wrap” while Toni, the photographer, was organising the group picture. Too delightful to miss!
A key to understanding this was their choice of reading:
The key to love is understanding…
The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word,
but those unspoken gestures,
the little things that say so much by themselves.
The key to love is forgiveness…
to accept each others faults and pardon mistakes,
without forgetting, but with remembering
what you learn from them.
The key to love is sharing…
Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together;
both conquering problems, forever searching for ways
to intensify your happiness.
The key to love is giving…
without thought of return,
but with the hope of just a simple smile,
and by giving in but never giving up.
The key to love is respect…
realising that you are two separate people, with different ideas; that you don’t belong to each other,
that you belong with each other, and share a mutual bond.
The key to love is inside us all…
It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients that will take you to its threshold;
it is the continual learning process that demands a lot of work… but the rewards are more than worth the effort…
and that is the key to love.
Thanks to Photographer Toni Snell for the glorious images.
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A Mc and a Mac
When McNamara married MacKinnon, there was bound to be somescotsman around somewhere!!! And what a lovely use of tartan. And what a choice of place! Congratulations Sandra and Jason, married at Gardeners Falls, Maleny. Unique, different, touching, romantic and down to earth, their DIY wedding was simply perfect.
A Scotsman and a Nymph
When Sandra and Jason first met in Canada they recall talking about travelling Australia and the food they both missed. Jason proceeded to load up the juke box while Sandra picked most of the songs and introduced him to her love for disco. Not less than two days later Jason had to leave Canada!! Mere hours before his flight took off they were enjoying their first “date”. The conversation flowed easily and touched on so many subjects that they would have forgot to order food, if the waitress hadn’t kept reappearing to ask if they were ready to order. Jason’s friends were worried he was cutting it close for time to catch his flight. There was really no time for eating!
It was not long before they were together again, in Australia.
Sandra describes Jason as her calm in the storm. Jason describes Sandra as his down to earth rock. No wonder it threatened to storm on their wedding day. But come the right time, they stood on a rock mid stream, with not a drop of rain.
They relish each other’s company, laugh at each other’s jokes and make fun happen every day. These are qualities that will sustain a relationship. They are also great qualities for planning an extraordinary wedding.
Dressed in wedding Tartan
They turned up to their wedding dressed as Scotsman in family tartan (complete with sporan I may add) and forest nymph. They wanted something quite unique and intimate for their ceremony, and yet grand in meaning. Choosing Gardeners Falls, a small out of the way place, with running creek and rainforest all around, they created a wonderland.
Wed Over Water
Sandra and Jason asked if they could be wed on the water. We took off our shoes and stepped onto a rock in the stream. Guests gathered on a larger rock close by. They chose a hand binding ceremony to seal their vows. In this way drawing on Celtic traditions from ancient times, bringing the ceremony into modern day with our own twist on the promises and bindings. Jason had prepared a strip of tartan for the bindings. For wedding rings they had special rings created, each a combination of an Australian saphire and two Canadian diamonds.
Tartan sash
At the conclusion of the service, Jason draped a MacKinnon tartan sash over his new Mrs MacKinnon, and had photos taken in the middle of the running creek. He carried her across the water. Later that weekend they continued the fun by taking their own wedding photos, with just tripod and themselves.
Here is a glimpse of their DIY wedding day:
What they said:
Kari was an amazing celebrant. She was just what we were looking for, she listened to our suggestions, went with our ideas adding her own input when we knew what we wanted but weren’t sure how to do it.
Kari got a good feel for how we were as a couple and what we liked. She even offered us choices to choose her dress colour for the ceremony and was even willing to go barefoot.
Kari helped a lot making our ceremony just what we wanted and we had an amazing day. Sandra and Jason MacKinnon
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Who shall be the ring bearer?
At your wedding, who do you choose to be the ring bearer? A charming little nephew? An eagle? The Best Man? The Best Woman? Mum? Or your pet? Congratulations Diane and Patrick, for choosing Ruby. They married in the charming pergola at Tiffany’s, looking out over the Glass House Mountains from the Maleny Ridge. They wanted a creative, fun and relaxed wedding. They chose Tiffany’s for the view, for the incredible feeling you get when gazing out over the vista of the Glass House Mountains. What an extraordinary place on the edge of the ridge, what a splendid sunny day. AND what a charming ring bearer! More of her later….
Planning a memorable wedding
Diane and Patrick wanted their wedding to be memorable, unforgettable in fact, and a bit of fun for their guests. All they wrote on the wedding invite was a date, a time and ‘surprise location’. The guests had no idea where they were going and what to expect. A bus collected them all, to take them to Tiffany’s. The bus was there again to continue the adventure to Clovelly Estate for a classy reception banquet. What fun! Everyone arrived at the ceremony full of intrigue and with smiles already on their faces.
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Diane arrived in retro style in the divine Red Kombi. Just bride and her parents. A gentle and relaxed bride, Diane just glowed on the way to meet her Patrick. She arrived on the arms of both her parents, one on each arm. It is a tradition that is very heartwarming, when a parent accompanies their daughter to her wedding day. In these modern days of equality we still have room to remember an ancient custom, that of a bride being accompanying to her wedding.
Diane chose to arrive with both her parents. In this way we know that father and mother are supportive of the bride and groom and their decision to embrace marriage. And indeed there is room too to thank the parents for the Groom for all they have done to bring their son to his wedding day too. Diane and her parents brought a charming tradition into the modern world. But what about Ruby? The other important family member.
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Ruby the ring bearer
Diane and Patrick wanted their special family, Ruby, a black Labrador, to be part of their special day and found a a way to include her in the ceremony. Their dear Ruby was a feature guest for the day. Sporting a ribbon on her neck, most of the guests just thought she was there for the ride. She was the perfect ring bearer.
Ever thought you’d be able to have your pets at your wedding?
At this wedding, it was the Ruby the ring bearer who stole the show. When the wedding bands were called for, Ruby bounded down the aisle towards her favourite people to deliver the rings. She happily sat while Patrick took the rings from her neck, to place on the finger of his bride. 
Ruby stuck around for photos and I’m sure would have enjoyed the canapés, but she had other treats in store.
Kylie from Lovable Pets arrived in chic sporting attire. Ruby was whisked away for a long walk on the beach and a sleep over at Kylie’s. Lucky Ruby. To top off a beautiful afternoon, Di and Patrick invited their guests to the divine and classy Spicers Clovelly Estate for a three course banquet around a continuous table. Beautiful plant arrangements by A Sculpted Leaf, the boughs of the Jacaranda tree hanging down beside the pavilion, and an array of sumptuous food from the Clovelly French styled chefs. You may think Ruby was wondering who got the best deal. She didn’t even know, as she frolicked on the beach with Kylie, or perhaps by now she was snoring on a large cushion. It was an important day for Ruby, delivering the rings to the ceremony on cue! She deserved her rest. Peek into other moments from their wedding day. Photos by Tania Stanley.
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Arrive with panache to your wedding
…just like Jo and Len did to their wedding ceremony along the riverfront at Noosaville.
Congratulations to newly weds, Jo and Len, your wedding was such fun.
Here is how their wedding began….
Before the wedding began, guests were a little surprised when the Groom unbuttoned his shirt. Dressed in just singlet and rolled up pants, he wandered away from the wedding canopy (by Splash Events) set up by the banks of the Noosa River. His purple shirt hung on the canopy and he disappeared!
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How the groom arrived to the wedding
To our surprise he returned a little while later from the water, paddling a canoe with energetic young Best Man, Ben. Cheers greeted them as they beached the canoe and redressed in their handsome finery. Was purple going to be a colour theme today?[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”39810″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]
How the bride arrived to the wedding
But where was the bride?
Guests were invited to step this way and wander over to the roadside. Bemused looks, puzzled questions ensued.
It all became clear when the bride arrived on the arm of her dashing son, Max, and with her bridesmaids. Several girls stepped onto the zebra crossing and held up all traffic for the bridal party to cross over.
Abbey Road
Reminiscences of Abbey Road, more cheers ….. and tears, and laughter. And the ceremony had not begun yet![/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”39802″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Back to the wedding
Returning to the bridal canopy, the guests were in for another surprise, as indeed was the bride. Len took up a microphone and sung to his bride as she walked down the aisle. We forgave her tears. We all cried. It was too beautiful.
That was simply the beginning to a delightful wedding ceremony by the river, …..
and finishing as the sun was sinking over the still water, on the top deck of the Boathouse floating restaurant.
Ah …. it doesn’t get better than this!
Photos by Andrea Thompson.
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